Conventionally, sharpening machines have been used to sharpen various saw chains once they have become damaged or worn. Most saw chain sharpening machines are capable of effectively sharpening smaller saw chains with a 0.404″ pitch however, they are not robust enough to sharpen a larger saw chain having a ¾″ pitch.
A further disadvantage with current sharpening machines is that the clamping device is not capable of holding the chains securely enough when larger cuts are required to sharpen a tooth and/or remove worn or damaged material. Generally, most of the current devices require the grinding wheel of a sharpening machine to be passed over the tooth a few times in order to sharpen the tooth. In addition, if the sharpening is not done quickly enough the teeth can overheat resulting in extended sharpening time as it will be necessary to wait for the teeth to cool down. In addition, overheating of the tooth can change the tensile strength of the tooth.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a saw chain sharpening assembly which is adapted to provide a means for efficiently sharpening small and/or large chains.